


Trading Spaces

by ChangelingRin



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Are they Partners?, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Humor, I'm gonna go with Partners, Millenium Puzzle Shenanigans, Platonic Body-Sharing Relationship, Platonic Partner Relationship, Probably Parody, What even is their relationship?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangelingRin/pseuds/ChangelingRin
Summary: A… minor malfunction - okay, they broke it, but it was an accident! The Millennium Puzzle is in pieces, but this time there's an unfortunate side effect. Namely, Yami is now stuck on the outside, and Yugi is the phantom. And until they can find all the pieces to put the Puzzle back together, Yami is going to have to be Yugi for the day.…This won't go badly at all.





	Trading Spaces

**Author's Note:**

> Because Yu-Gi-Oh! canon has absolutely no information about the school system, I have opted to use an American schedule because that's what I can actually be correct about, as opposed to trying to be accurate with a Japanese system and likely messing it up horribly. Also, because if they're going to give Joey a Brooklyn accent, then there's at least SOMETHING vaguely American going on somewhere. If that's an issue, I apologize. If not, then... carry on.
> 
> Oh, timeline. This takes place... after Duelist Kingdom, but before any of that other stuff. Just in case it matters.

* * *

 

_'_ _...Well, this isn't good.'_

_'You're telling me.'_

_'Can you fix it?'_

_'Yugi, you're the one who put it together, not me.'_

_'I just thought, since you lived there...'_

Yami suppressed a sigh. _'A perfectly justified thought, but unfortunately I have no idea how to fix it. Do you know how to build a house?'_

_'...Well, now that I think about it, no,'_ Yugi admitted.

_'Same concept.'_

_'Dang. Okay, umm... well, first we're gonna need to find the missing piece.'_

Yami glanced around the room. _'That is easier said than done.'_

_'Well, we know it's in here somewhere, right?'_

_'That is true...'_

_'So that's progress, at least. Look, I can instruct you on how to put the pieces we've got back together, but until we find the last one...'_

_'We're stuck like this,'_   Yami finished. _'Well, I've traded places with you before, how hard can this be?'_

_'Pharaoh, for all intents and purposes you're going to have to_ be _me for a while. How good are you at acting?'_

_'I... don't know.'_

Yugi's image, which was hovering on Yami's left, facepalmed. _'Right, no memory. Stupid question.'_

_'It's fine.'_

_'Yeah... so anyways, see that piece there with the four corners? That one slots into place with that triangular bit there.'_

_'Like this?'_ Yami picked up the small section and fiddled with it.

_'Yeah, like that... it should click into place. Did you hear a click?'_

_'I did.'_

_'Alright, next piece. That one over there with the rectangular bit poking off, that fits on the left side there...'_

* * *

_'Yugi, you should consider using some sort of adhesive, this is the third time we've broken the Puzzle.'_

_'Once I get my body back I'll be sure to do that,'_ came the somewhat snarky reply. _'Hey, that's Grandpa. Here's your first test being me, Pharaoh.'_

_'...gods help me.'_

Yugi's grandfather, a diminutive gray-haired man who was probably responsible for Yugi's own lack of substantial height, turned around as his 'grandson' entered the room and smiled agreeably. "Ah, Yugi. There you are. I heard a crash earlier from your room, did something break?"

_'...Say something,'_ Yugi prompted.

Yami blinked. _'What do I say? How do I respond to this man in a way that is properly 'Yugi'?'_

_'Just... tell him you dropped a textbook. And don't forget to call him Grandpa, he'll suspect something otherwise.'_

Yami swallowed. "No, uh, nothing broke. Um, I just dropped a, um, textbook... uh..."

_'Grandpa.'_

_'Right, sorry.'_ "Grandpa."

_'Geez, you're really bad at this.'_

_'That is hardly my fault! The most I do nowadays is play card games for about an hour at a time. You cannot blame me for not having many social skills!'_

Solomon Motou, although not privy to the inner monologue that Yugi and Yami were having, was clearly not persuaded by the rather pathetic answer.

"Yugi, you're acting strangely. Are you sure you're alright?"

_'By the gods, he's onto us!'_

_'Calm down, calm down! Just... um... repeat after me. And don't hesitate!'_

"Yes Grandpa, I'm fine," a nervous Yami parroted. "You don't need to worry about me. It was just a book."

"...Well, as long as you're okay," Solomon decided, and walked away to start on his daily cleaning.

_'I never want to do something so harrowing as that ever again.'_

Yugi raised a quizzical eyebrow. _'Pharaoh, we once played Duel Monsters while trapped in ankle cuffs and surrounded by flamethrowers. Are you seriously saying_ that _was less nerve-wracking than talking to my Grandpa?'_

_'Yugi, I'm attempting to be you. I don't know how to be you! I barely know how to be me!'_

_'That's why I'm still here, silly. Just repeat what I say to you and we should get through this alright, at least until we can find the last Puzzle Piece and swap back.'_

At that moment, Solomon came back through the walkway carrying a broom.

"By the way, Yugi," he said, "are you trying a new hairstyle? You'll run out of hair gel soon if you keep making all those tendrils stand up like that every day."

_'...What does he mean?'_

_'Pharaoh, your hair looks different than how I usually wear mine,'_ Yugi said.

_'That is preposterous. No one else has ever pointed this out before.'_

_'To be fair, we're normally in the middle of a duel when we swap. I don't think the people pay much attention to our hairstyle when that happens.'_

That was probably a valid point, Yami decided. _'...So, if I am to pass as you, then we need to alter my hair?'_

_'Looks that way. Head up the stairs and make a right, that'll take you to the bathroom and we can see what needs to change.'_

* * *

The two duelists stared at Yami's reflection in the mirror.

_'…I never noticed that before. How are those strands standing up like that?'_ Yugi asked, befuddled.

_'I don't know, they've just always done that. Does other people's hair not defy gravity this way?'_

_'...Not that I've seen. We're gonna need to slick those down... okay, bottom left drawer, there should be some heavy-duty hairspray.'_

_'Alright... this can here?'_ Yami asked, pulling out a container of product.

_'That's the one. Just spray your hair and then push the strands down... probably around your face. They're the same color as your bangs, so it should blend in pretty well.'_

* * *

_'This feels strange,'_ Yami noted.

_'You'll get used to it eventually, your roots just need to get accustomed to going a different direction is all.'_

_'I shall take your word for it. While we're doing this, is there anything else I should change to better mimic you?'_

_'Well... yes, but I don't think we can do anything about it. For one, you're about a foot and a half taller than me.'_

_'...Ah. That will be a problem.'_

_'For another, your eyes are shaped differently. A_ lot _differently.'_

_'Strange how nobody's ever noticed the differences before, if they're really as prominent as this.'_

_'Speaking of which, you talk at an entire octave lower than I do.'_

_'...By the gods, this is going to be far more work than I thought it would.'_

_'Well, luckily you can just talk higher than your normal pitch and I think that should work for now... but there's not a lot we can do about the height and face.'_

_'What about those shoes that T_ _é_ _a wears, the ones that add an extra three inches onto her height? We could say I'm wearing a pair.'_

He received a mental chuckle. _'First of all, Pharaoh, those are girl's shoes. Second, nobody will believe that there are heels that tall. Third, even if there were I don't think you'd be able to walk.'_

_'Well, then how would you suggest we pull this off?'_ Yami asked.

_'...Ridiculously overnight growth spurt?'_

_'Somehow I doubt that will suffice. Perhaps I shall just hope nobody notices. After all, it's not like anyone has before.'_

_'That's true enough... Huh, now I'm torn between being grateful that all the people I know are ignorant morons, or being insulted that none of them ever noticed.'_

_'Be grateful,'_ Yami advised. _'You lose less friendships that way.'_

* * *

Thankfully, the two boys had made it through the night without any more incidents, aside from being frustratingly unable to find the last piece of the Millenium Puzzle. As a result, Yami was still in Yugi's place and was currently trying to say as little as possible while Yugi's grandfather talked.

_'...Yugi, what is this 'school' your grandfather has mentioned?'_

_'Ohhhhhhh shoot. I forgot about that,'_ Yugi said, chuckling awkwardly. His mental projection rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _'Okay, um... time to test how good you can be me, I guess. You're gonna have to act for the day.'_

_'...I barely survived the previous evening,'_ Yami deadpanned.

_'It's fine! I'll tell you where you need to go and what I would say. Just remember to talk higher than normal and keep at least a three-foot distance at all times to avoid anyone noticing the height difference.'_

_'...This does not inspire courage.'_

_'Gosh Pharaoh, I didn't think you_ had _fear.'_

_'Dueling and daily life are two completely different things. I actually_ know _how to duel.'_

_'Whereas you've never had to be domestic... and even if you did, you don't remember. I understand now, sorry.'_

_'No need to apologize. But I do have a question.'_

_'Yeah?'_

_'Where is this 'school' and how do I get there?'_

_'...Oh, this is going to be a long day.'_

* * *

_'Okay, now left... and that building way down on the end is my school.'_

_'By the gods, it's a veritable maze just to reach this place. You do this every day?'_

_'Well... most days, anyways. Oh- pull the door, don't push.'_

Yami did so, and continued the mental conversation. _'Where to now?'_

_'Well, first I've got Algebra. Thankfully I did my homework before we got into this mess... take the next right, climb the stairs and look for room 224.'_

_'Why are there so many people?'_ Yami asked, sidestepping deftly around the other students.

_'They're all here for school, same as you. Well, us. How are you at crowd-dodging?'_

_'Decent, I suppose,'_ Yami said, ignoring the fact that he was actually both quite good and doing said dodging as he spoke. _'You said room 224?'_

_'Yep. That's... oh, right here actually. This room here. My seat is over on the middle left, third row in.'_

Following this direction, Yami made his way somewhat awkwardly to the indicated chair and sat down as quick as he could manage. This was so far out of his comfort zone that it was almost laughable.

* * *

_'...Yugi, am I supposed to be understanding any of this?'_

_'I guess that depends. Did you ever learn the Order of Operations and how to deal with algebraic equations?'_

Yami blinked, which thankfully was a normal action outside of a conversation. _'...What?'_

_'I'll take that as a no,'_ Yugi decided. _'Just keep taking notes, I'm the one who needs to be learning this stuff anyways. I'm glad I can hang around to pay attention, at the very least.'_

_'I am literally just copying what this man is putting on that wall. I have no idea what any of it means.'_

Yugi took a look over Yami's shoulder at the teen's papers. _'...Pharaoh, are you sure you're actually writing words? Because that just looks like chicken scratch._

_'Is that a problem?'_

_'...I can't read that.'_

_'...Ah. Well... er... it is the only way I know how to write.'_

_'That's okay, I guess. You can tell me what it means later and I'll write it down'_

* * *

_'That didn't go too badly, I think. No-one seemed to notice, anyways.'_

_'Speak for yourself, Yugi. I don't even know what I just wrote down.'_

_'English next,'_ Yugi said, eliciting a mental groan from Yami. _'Oh, it's not nearly as bad as Algebra. It's all presentations today anyways, and I'm not scheduled until two days from now. All you need to do is look like you're paying attention.'_

_'Is the presentation on Duel Monsters?'_

_'...No, Pharaoh. We're studying Shakespeare.'_

Yami cocked his head. _'Who?'_

_'Never mind.'_

* * *

_'That made even less sense than the previous class. Who is this 'Capulet' fellow, why does he talk so strangely, and what made him think it was a good idea to kill himself?'_

Yugi, unfortunately, was at a complete loss in the summary department. _'It's... complicated, I think... um... actually, I have no idea how to explain Romeo and Juliet to you. It's a failed love story, let's just leave it at that.'_

_'...Your literature is strange.'_

* * *

_'Down the stairs, take the second left, then the first right and the room should be on the right about halfway down the hall, number 150,'_ Yugi instructed.

_'You have all this memorized?'_

_'I don't see what the big deal is._ You've _got all the Duel Monsters cards memorized, down to the last effect and possible strategy. How is this more impressive than that?'_

_'Duel Monsters is interesting. There's a rhyme and a reason to it. This place just seems... chaotic.'_

_'Well, that's true enough at lunchtime... Stop!'_ Yugi ordered. _'Go back, you just passed the room.'_

_'They all look the same, how was I supposed to know?'_ Yami complained.

_'That's why I'm telling you. And my seat is the one in front, second chair in.'_

_'Thank you. Now, which lesson is this?'_

_'This is History. We're studying the World Wars right now.'_

_'Not Egypt?'_

_'We did the ancient cultures at the beginning of the year, sorry. This should just be more note-taking, luckily. Just write your chicken scratch and you can translate them for me later.'_

_'_ I _know what it says,'_ Yami muttered.

_'Somehow. I don't even think you're writing_ English. _'_

* * *

_'So... not all conflicts are solved through card games?'_ Yami questioned.

_'No. Where'd you get that idea?'_

_'Well, all our problems seem to get solved that way. I thought it was universal.'_

_'No, no that's not how it works. Most of the world's conflicts get resolved through things like guns.'_

_'Like those invisible ones in the Duelist Kingdom? The ones that Pegasus' guardsmen had?'_

_'Well... yes, but most guns aren't actually invisible. I don't know why those were.'_

_'Perhaps Pegasus is simply that wealthy.'_

_'Yeah, maybe... oh shoot! Pharaoh, the teacher asked you a question!'_

_'What was it?!'_

_'I don't know, I was talking to you!'_

_'Okay, so what do I do?!'_

_'Umm... say, 'I'm sorry could you repeat that?' But make sure to keep your voice high, I don't want to try and explain spontaneously dropping an octave.'_

"Uh..." Yami cleared his throat nervously. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

The teacher gave him a mildly patient look, which both Yami and Yugi immediately scrutinized for any traces of suspicion. There wasn't any, much to their relief.

"I said, can you tell us which countries were Japan's allies in the First World War?"

Yami blinked, having no idea what this meant. _'Yugi, help?'_

_'Give me a minute, I'm thinking.'_

_'Think faster!'_

_'Uh... got it. The U.K., the U.S, France, and Russia.'_

"The... U.K., the U.S., France, and Russia?"Yami repeated questioningly.

"Correct," the teacher said. "I see someone did their reading, at least."

_'By the gods, I never want to do that again.'_

_'Oh, you're just being dramatic. Trust me, that wasn't bad at all.'_

_'You aren't normally trying to keep your voice high and hoping that nobody will notice something off about you, though.'_

_'That's a fair point...'_

* * *

_'Lucky you, my next class is right next door,'_ Yugi said as Yami trudged out the classroom door. The Pharaoh let out a mental groan.

_'Another one? How many of these are there?'_

_'Well, after this I have lunch.'_

Yami sighed in relief.

_'But then after that I have five more class periods before we go home,'_ Yugi finished.

_'...What else could you possibly be learning here?'_

_'Well, I'm taking German 2 as my Foreign Language requirement, then I've got Chemistry and Biology back-to-back because I missed some stuff during Duelist Kingdom and I need to make up for it. Then I have General Psychology, and then I have Band because Grandpa thought I needed some musical culture in my life.'_

Yami turned pale. _'...What kind of instrument do you play?'_

_'...You don't know how to play a trumpet, do you.'_

_'No I do not.'_

_'Crud.'_ Yugi worried at his lower lip. _'Umm... let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now I need to coach you through my Intro to Philosophy class.'_

_'I have never heard of this 'philosophy'. Is that an illness?'_

Yugi, with difficulty, barely avoided facefaulting. _'No, that's Pharyngitis.'_

_'Ah.'_ Yami nodded sagely, then frowned. _'And what, exactly, is Pharyngitis?'_

_'Sore throat. I told you I'm taking Biology. Now sit down, you've been standing in the classroom doorway for a solid two minutes.'_

Yami blinked, then suddenly realized that Yugi was exactly right and hurriedly took his/Yugi's seat as his parter helpfully pointed it out.

_'I do not understand how you deal with all of this,'_ he muttered.

* * *

_'This 'Thoreau' person seems rather full of himself,'_ Yami remarked as the teacher read a passage from something called 'Solitude'.

_'He had a very... personally-centered view on the world,'_ Yugi agreed. _'Are you taking notes? This is gonna be on our test in a couple weeks.'_

Yami blanched. _'I have to take a_ test _for you?!'_

_'No, no! Unless we still haven't found the last piece of the Puzzle... but no, you shouldn't have to. I still stand by my previous question, though.'_

_'Yes, Yugi, I am taking notes. You can see that just as well as I can.'_

_'I can see your chicken scratch,'_ Yugi corrected. _'What I_ can't _see is whether or not they actually translate to notes on the lesson.'_

_'You should fix that.'_

_'Hey, learning German is hard enough. I don't even know if what you're writing is a_ language _. From what I can tell you just wrote the word 'importance' without any of the vowels and frequent use of the letter 'q'. How you think 'importance' includes the letter 'q' is beyond me.'_

_'I prefer to think of it as prioritized spelling,'_ Yami replied, drawing in another glyph as the teacher talked.

* * *

Lunchtime happened not a moment too soon, in both their opinions. Yami, because he was getting completely frazzled trying to deal with Yugi's classes, and Yugi because he was frazzled watching Yami deal with his classes. At the very least they could be thankful for, Yugi had packed his own lunch the night before and thus the duo were saved the experience of trying to buy food.

On the other hand, this meant that Yami had more one-on-one time with Yugi's friends, who were not entirely privy to the full extent of the Millennium Puzzle's secret.

In other words, they didn't know the Pharaoh existed as a separate entity yet.

As such, Tristan, Téa, and Joey were all wondering why 'Yugi' was so quiet. And it was making Yami very nervous indeed, showcased by the tiny, chipmunk-like bites he was taking from his sandwich.

"Hey Yug, you sure you're alright?" Joey asked. "You've been actin' weird the whole meal."

Internally, Yami panicked.

_'What do I say?!'_

_'I don't know!'_ Yugi cried, equally panicked. _'They know me better than my teachers do, they'll_ know _something is weird about us! Not to mention your falsetto isn't going to fool them at all!'_

_'So WHAT DO I SAY?!'_

_'Umm... Uh... Pharyngitis?'_

_'...What!?'_

_'Tell them you have a sore throat and you lost your voice!'_

Yami, desperately hoping that his face hadn't betrayed the frantic conversation, opened his mouth and whispered, "I lost my voice this morning."

Joey immediately smiled in understanding. "Oh, I gotcha. I'll talk to ya in 'Yes or No' format then."

"Gosh Yugi, I hope you feel better soon," Téa said. "I remember the time I lost my voice. I hated it."

"Why, because you couldn't gossip like usual?" Tristan asked.

"No, because it came with the worst case of strep throat I've ever had in my life," Téa replied dryly.

"You don't got strep throat, do ya Yug?" Joey asked. Yami shook his head emphatically and nibbled on the sandwich some more.

_'That was far too close.'_

_'…'_

_'...Yugi?'_

_'...I don't like lying to them.'_

Yami sighed. _'I know, but would they believe the truth? Right now, they think I'm an aspect of your personality brought out by card games. This sort of thing is best found out slowly.'_

_'You're right, I know you are, I just... It's hard.'_

Yami made to reply, but then Joey piped up with, "So did you hear about Kaiba? Apparently he's planning some sort of Duelist Competition for next month. You excited as I am, Yug?"

Finally, Yami thought to himself, a topic he could get behind on. He nodded enthusiastically. Joey grinned.

"It's gonna be so awesome!" the blond boy exclaimed. "I can't wait to try out my new deck! Speakin' of which, Yug, I wanted to get your opinion on my strategy..."

With Joey phrasing his Yes-or-No questions and a conversation that Yami finally felt comfortable with, lunch hour passed the quickest of the whole day.

* * *

_'I dearly wish lunch had lasted longer,'_ Yami bemoaned to Yugi as he looked for the next classroom. _'Or rather, that this school day had ended right then and there.'_

_'You know that's not how it works,'_ Yugi scolded, amused. _'If you've been around ever since I first solved the Puzzle-'_

_'I have.'_

_'-then you should know how long my school days last. Or were you not paying attention?'_

_'To be honest, I originally tried to stay out of your business as much as possible. You had a life before me, and the last thing I wanted to do was force you out of it. Admittedly, I stepped in when you were having some... confidence issues... And then everything snowballed from that point.'_

_'So_ that _explains why I could stand up for Joey and Tristan...'_ Yugi muttered. _'I always wondered where that burst of courage came from.'_

_'Yes. Well. I feel I should apologize for that. If it weren't for me and my interfering, you wouldn't be in this situation right now.'_

_'That's stupid,'_ Yugi said bluntly. _'If we've learned anything, it's that Millennium Items bring trouble whether we want them to or not, and I_ know _that you didn't influence my solving the Puzzle. Now turn right, you just passed the hallway.'_

Yami looked up at that, as he'd been walking blindly in favor of paying attention to the internal conversation, and realized that he was two steps from walking straight into a wall.

_'Ah. Thank you.'_

_'No sweat. Oh, quick warning before you sit down, my German teacher only lets us speak in German to promote our learning. How much German do you know?'_

_'…'_

_'Oh boy.'_

_'You never told me this!'_

_'It slipped my mind, okay?!'_ Yugi retorted. _'Just... if the teacher calls on you, mimic what I say_ exactly _how I say it and we might just escape with our lives.'_

In any other circumstance, except perhaps during a Duel (let's face it, some _really_ weird stuff happens during those), Yugi's words would have seemed overly dramatic. However, this was even farther out of Yami's comfort zone than school in general already was, and as such was even more daunting. He didn't even know his _own_ native language, much less somebody else's.

...Granted, he didn't exactly know _what_ his native language was, but since he _did_ remember being called Pharaoh at some point in his past he felt it was safe to assume he was from Egypt and had thus spoken Egyptian.

The point was, Yami was panicking for the umpteenth time that day.

_'Just don't make eye contact and you probably won't get called on,'_ Yugi coached as Yami vainly tried and failed to figure out what everyone was saying. The only word he was catching was 'die', but he was fairly certain that he was putting it in the wrong context because he sincerely doubted a teacher making this many death threats on a daily basis would still be in said teaching position.

Then he realized that the words were actually being directed at _him_ , as the teacher was the sort who, when faced with a quiet student, immediately zeroes in on them in an effort to promote participation. Unfortunately for Yami, he had absolutely no idea what she'd said and hoped to the gods that his panic wasn't showing on his face.

_'She asked you how you're doing,'_ Yugi supplied. _'So... how_ are _we doing?'_

_'I am having the most stressful day of my life.'_

_'No kidding... Shoot, I don't know the word for stress. Uh... Just tell her you're fine. Say 'Ich bin gut'.'_

Yami repeated the words with a butchered pronunciation and an accent that was so bad it was almost good. It didn't help that Yugi's knowledge of German was limited, and the sentence he'd given Yami was probably a travesty to German grammar in itself. The teacher took a second to run the sentence through her head to find the meaning inside the garbled syllables, then gave a pasted-on smile and said... something.

_'...She says your... something... don't know that word... can't remember what that one means... think that one means work... uh, the general gist is that you need practice. I think.'_

Yami didn't say anything in reply, being too busy trying to figure out how he was going to survive the rest of the day. At this point he was beginning to seriously doubt his chances.

* * *

The problem with the Sciences, Yami decided, was that he couldn't tell the difference.

Apparently, at some point they'd moved from Chemistry to Biology, but the teen had no idea when that had happened. They were still in the same room and still staring at small pieces of glassware. The only difference was that the previous glassware had been full of various liquids that sometimes exploded, and the current glassware was being examined under a tube that made everything look bigger.

_'You're supposed to write down what you saw,'_ Yugi prompted.

_'There was nothing to see. All I saw was white.'_

Yugi's image frowned. _'That's not right... the directions say we're supposed to see cell structure. Are you sure you placed the slide properly?'_

_'The what now?'_

Ignoring this, Yugi floated over to the microscope and examined the setup. _'Everything looks fine... Did you focus the lens right?'_

_'I... what?'_

Yugi, albeit with some difficulty due to his transparency, peered through the viewfinder. _'No wonder you can't see anything, Pharaoh, you've got the focus all wrong.'_ He made to twist the knob to correct the problem, only for his hand to pass straight through. His face turned sheepish.

_'I... forgot about that for a minute,'_ Yugi admitted. _'Would you mind turning the right hand knob, there, until I say stop?'_

Yami complied, knowing that Yugi was by far the more knowledgeable of the two in this situation. Within a few seconds, Yugi spoke up again and Yami let go of the small knob.

_'There, that should be fine,'_ Yugi said. _'Look now.'_

_'...What are those!? They look like... like clear bricks with a brain!'_

_'I guess you've never seen cells before,'_ Yugi chuckled. _'That's what plants are made of. It's also what we're made of, although ours look a bit different. More round, less like bricks.'_

Yami leaned away from the microscope and peered at the small glass slide underneath the lens. _'By the gods... that is... amazing. They are so tiny, I would never have even guessed they were there.'_

_'Glad you like them so much. You can write that down under question 4.'_

Yami paused. _'...With my 'chicken scratch' writing?'_

_'...Ah crud. Umm... do you know the English Alphabet?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'Good. Tell me what you want to say, I'll tell you how to spell it, and you mimic the letters I say very_ very _carefully.'_

* * *

_'...I am very uncomfortable in this situation.'_

_'Of all the days...'_ Yugi groaned. _'I completely forgot about this!'_

Unsurprisingly, at least to an outside observer, Yugi's Psychology class was studying Psychology. Today, though, this happened to mean that the students were giving each other basic psychiatric tests to type each other's personalities.

And while Yugi and Yami were most of the time quite similar, exact matches they weren't.

_'What should we do?'_ Yami asked.

Yugi frowned. _'...Well, I would say to do as we've been doing, but in this case the pause before you repeat me is probably going to raise a few eyebrows.'_

_'So I should answer the questions myself? That seems a spectacularly bad idea.'_

_'I would agree with you, if our questionnaire partner knew anything about me as a person. He doesn't. Besides, aren't you a little bit curious?'_

_'About my own personality? If I don't know that much about myself, then I should seriously reconsider my life.'_

_'Says the guy who can't remember his name.'_

_'That is a special case and you know it!'_

_'I'm just joking!'_ Yugi grinned. _'Seriously though, I don't really see the harm in it. Give it a shot. Just remember to keep your voice high.'_

Yami inhaled, exhaled, then set his shoulders and faced the student holding the question sheet.

"I am ready," he said formally.

_'...Remind me to teach you how to be casual,'_ Yugi's voice sounded as the student gave Yami a confused look.

"Okay then..." the student said. "I'll just read this... 'You walk into a room and see a group of your friends hanging out. What are they doing?'"

"Duel Monsters," Yami said immediately.

"Okay, let me write that down..." the student muttered. "Alright, next question. 'You're sitting at a table. In front of you is your favorite hobby. What is it?'"

"Card games," Yami said.

He received an odd glance from the other boy.

"...Next question," the student continued. "'Who or what is your favorite fictional character?'"

"The Dark Magician."

_'These questions seem oddly slated towards open-ended answers,'_ Yugi mused, as Yami gave an increasing number of answers related to Duel Monsters and his questionnaire partner grew more and more confused.

* * *

_'That was a waste of time,'_ Yami muttered.

Yugi snickered. _'I think that maybe, if you'd given an answer other than Duel Monsters or Card Games, you wouldn't have gotten 'Card Games and Nothing Else' as your personality.'_

_'I have much more to my personality than card games!'_ Yami fumed as he more-or-less stomped down the hallway to Yugi's last class.

_'Yeah, you like Egyptian mythology – turns out they played card games. You're interested in your past – apparently, you were a Pharaoh who played card games. You want to learn about history – namely, how the ancients used card games for Shadow Games. You also like-'_

_'I get it,'_ Yami interrupted. _'I like card games. I already knew this. Now, do I turn right or left?'_

_'Right,'_ Yugi responded. _'Speaking of my last class, you said you don't know how to play trumpet?'_

_'That would be correct.'_

_'Perfect.'_ The sarcasm was almost palpable. _'Okay... I can probably help you fake it... maybe.'_

_'This does not inspire confidence.'_

_'That's because I'm not confident. Do you at least know how to read music?'_

_'...Music can be read?'_

_'So much for that idea. Just... put the small end on your mouth, wiggle your fingers, and put the horn down when I say so. And above anything else, DO NOT actually blow air into it. That'll give away everything.'_

_'...gods help me.'_

_'Agreed.'_

* * *

_'Two-and-three-and-four-and STOP! We've got a twenty-measure rest, you can put the horn down for a minute.'_

Yami did so, noticing that the other trumpet players around him were doing the exact same thing. He wouldn't stand out, he noted with relief.

_'Of course not, I know how to read music,'_ Yugi said mock-defensively. _'Are you keeping count?'_

_'We're on the third section.'_

_'Measure.'_

_'Yes, that.'_ Yami looked around at the multitude of instruments surrounding him, most of which were continuing the ongoing song. _'What are those long silver pipes?'_

_'Those are flutes. You can hear them right now, actually, the high-pitched tune there.'_

_'And the long curved ones that sit between the player's legs?'_

_'Uh... oh, those are saxophones,'_ Yugi said. _'They're kinda mellow-sounding. They've got the melody right now, if you can hear it. Measure count?'_

_'Number twelve. Why are some of the saxophones circular?'_

_'Those are french horns, they're actually a different instrument,'_ Yugi explained patiently.

_'And what are those long black ones? They look too large to be flutes.'_

_'Those are clarinets. They sound more... breathy, I guess. You can hear them on the harmony right now. Oh, pick your trumpet back up, our rest is over.'_

Yami lifted the instrument to his mouth, took a deep breath, pressed down on the valves with his hands, and... produced absolutely no sound whatsoever.

_'Good, now just keep doing this and don't make eye contact with anybody.'_

_'Yugi, your music partner is staring,'_

_'Yeah... she's probably noticing that our fingering isn't matching the notes at all.'_

_'Should I ignore her?'_

_'...Probably. If you act like nothing's wrong, then... I dunno, maybe she won't say anything?'_

_'Once again, that does not inspire courage.'_

_'Oh, shut up and concentrate on your fingering.'_

* * *

_'We... we made it,'_ Yugi said, sounding baffled. _'We made it through a school day and nothing catastrophic happened.'_

_'Aside from a psychiatric evaluation that may or may not have labelled you as a card game fanatic,'_ Yami replied apologetically.

_'...Eh, it's probably true anyways. Have you_ seen _my room?'_

_'Yes, in fact. I spent all of last evening tearing it apart to find the missing Millennium Puzzle piece.'_

_'Oh, that's right! Now school's over, we can go home and look some more!'_

Yami grinned at that, somewhat wildly. _'Then let us do just that. I only have one question before we go.'_

Yugi's image frowned. _'What's that?'_

Yami gestured at the streets in front of him and asked, _'Which way is home?'_

* * *

"Ah, Yugi! How was school today?"

"It was fine, Grandpa," Yami replied, falsetto coming out almost without thought now even though he was still repeating Yugi's words in his head. "I've got a lot of homework, so I'm gonna head upstairs and get started, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll call up if you're not done in time for dinner."

Yami let out a nervous chuckle and said, "I hope I won't take that long..." before darting up the stairs and not-quite-slamming the door shut in relief. _'By the gods, that still hasn't gotten any easier.'_

_'Well, with any luck you won't have to do it again. Now... where haven't we looked yet?'_

Yami surveyed the room, which, as a result of last night's frantic search, was a disaster zone. _'…I admit, I'm not quite sure. I've forgotten where we stopped, it all looks to be an equal amount of mess.'_

_'Right...'_ Yugi scratched his head. _'I'm gonna poke around under the bed. Even if I can't touch it, I can still look.'_

_'I'll be over here then,'_ Yami replied, moving over to a bookcase and stooping down to feel around the backside.

* * *

Two hours, one accidentally-broken lamp, a lot of misplaced Duel Monsters cards and a mountain of frustration later, Yugi let out an excited squeal of pure joy.

_'I FOUND IT!'_

Yami was by his side in an instant. _'Where?'_

In response, Yugi pointed. _'It's all the way back in there, up against the wall and the desk.'_

Yami peered into the crack, and after much squinting made out the jagged shape of the Puzzle piece in the darkness behind the furniture. It was no wonder they hadn't found it before, the desk was positioned in such a way that there wasn't any light hitting the Puzzle piece at all, and thus that distinctive gold gleam was nowhere to be seen. Honestly, it was amazing that Yugi had even noticed it.

_'I'd pick it up, but... well, I can't move the desk,'_ Yugi said, waving a hand through the fixture to demonstrate his point. Yami had the solid form between the two of them at the moment.

_'That's alright, I've got it,'_ the older teen replied. He got down on his knees and pulled at the corner of the desk, sliding the piece of furniture out into the middle of the room. He repositioned himself, pulled a bit more, then leaned forward and pulled the last Puzzle piece from the corner.

_'Looks none the worse for the wear,'_ Yami remarked, dusting the golden jigsaw off with a finger. _'Ready, Yugi?'_

_'You bet. Let's fix the Puzzle.'_

With a click, the final piece of the Millennium Puzzle slotted into place, creating a bright golden glow that flared, faded – and left Yugi in Yami's place.

The two were silent for a few seconds, then-

_'Thank the GODS that is over.'_

_'Pharaoh!'_

_'What?'_

_'I didn't think you had that in you.'_

Yami's image materialized next to Yugi in his usual fashion. _'Yugi, as fond of you as I am, I do not wish to spend my life in your shoes. I am happy playing Duel Monsters and being an amnesiac spirit.'_

_'...No you're not.'_

_'That will probably be true tomorrow, but at the moment I stand by everything I just said,'_ Yami replied firmly. _'Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to take my leave and... rest. For a very long time.'_

With that, the taller boy vanished, leaving Yugi to chuckle and head downstairs to have dinner with his Grandpa.

* * *

Solomon Motou paused, and gave his grandson a careful once-over.

"Yugi... I don't mean any offense by this question, but have you gotten shorter?"

Yugi blinked. The one thing he and the Pharaoh couldn't do anything about, and of course his Grandpa would notice it. Sometimes his life seemed unfair.

_'_ I _think it is rather amusing.'_

_'Quiet, you.'_


End file.
